Ascended - Les Eveillés

The Ascended is a worldbuilding project that takes place in a world where humans can ascend to godhood through a series of steps. At each stage, they grow closer to the gods till they become one themselves. Those that reach follow the path of ascension are often driven by an ideology that pushes them to their limits until they are able to surpass them. Their body and mind changes giving humans the power to influence mater, the environment but also the spirit of others. Self-governed cities are built around those ascended by their followers of the ascended and their belives but also to seek their protections.

Here we will follow the Ascended of chivalry and the city they reign upon : Isabel.

Isabelle - City of Chivalry

Isabel is a monarchy born from the devotion of a knight to the unifying queen of the people: Isabella. As soon as the Knight ascended, she worked towards making Isabella and her descendants the undisputed ruler of the kingdom. Even though the Knight assures the monarchy , she's not the ruler of the land in contrast to other countries. In Isabel , the ruler legislates and judges while the Ascended executes. The influence of The Knight is strong but ultimately it is the ruler that will dictate the era to come.

The Knight

The Knight or the Chivalry Ascended is the protector or the kingdom of Isabel. The Knight supported several generations of queens and kings starting from Isabella's coronation.

The knight and Isabella where childhood friends before she became the founding queen and before the knight had become her righthand women. They fought together to unify the kingdom that was at the time suffering from internal conflicts and was not under the protection of an Ascended.

After each battle, the knight felt her strength grow so that she could better serve Isabella. She became what is called an intermediary being; a surnatural being on the path to godhood.

The knight arbores the symbol of the white dove of freedom , purity, kindness and love.

In this duo, Isabella is the guiding , strategic and political force and the knight is entirely devoted to her.

The dove concept sketch

The dove - the knight's intermediate phase

The dove - color tests

The Knight concept sketch

Isabella and The Knight

Isabella is also known as the white peacock of the realm. She symbolizes strength, power and divinity. Although, you could think of her more as a swan with her mysterious aura, her luminous appearance and white dress. Nevertheless, she always hides a sharp long saber under her robes.

It was hard to know whom arbored the more devine presence between her and her Ascended. More than a partnership, those two shared a life together.

After a series of political agreements, Isabella agreed to marry someone else during her coronation. It was at that point that the knight ascended and adorned a black peacock armor and a dark veil to mourn the loss of their beloved and to remind themselves of the white veil that they couldn't wear that day.

In contrast to the rest of their clothes, The Knight straight long sword remained white the same as Isabella's long croissant saber.

The Knight Ascended character design

The Knight and Isabella have been created to be the foil to one another. You can feel it through their designs. After, the knight ascended they adorned a peacock armor to symbolize their complete devotion to Isabella's cause and lost the colors of the white dove. Isabella is now the one wearing white and The Knight is the one dressed in black. The knight gave up their peace, their liberty and their love. Their clothes are now majestic, even divine to reflect their new status as an Ascended.

Isabel's castle

Isabel's castle is the heart of the city. It overlooks the city thanks to its high tower and mountain. The rooms and bridged are forged on the mountain itself. This one is made of the same metal as the Ascended black armor but also of many precious minerals. This is a reminder to its people of the mines that make the biggest part of the countries wealth.

The mountain is itself surrounded by waterfalls that make it seem even more impressive and impenetrable. A single bridge connects the queen's quarters and the administration district.

The castle is separated in three parts. The highest tower is the tower of The Knight, the second highest one is the residence of Isabella and the following kings and queens. The last part is composed of more discreet buildings dedicated to the castle's employees.

This castle represents the monarchy's power at its peak but also Isabel and The Knight themselves. We can see a great deal of Art Nouveau inspiration in its design.